Inheritance of Ainu culture conditioned by ethnic relations, Ainu communities, and networks : through the life history of the Ainu people in Urakawa

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  • アイヌ文化伝承を規定する民族関係・コミュニティ・ネットワーク : 浦河町のアイヌ文化伝承者の語りを通して
  • アイヌ ブンカ デンショウ オ キテイ スル ミンゾク カンケイ ・ コミュニティ ・ ネットワーク : ウラカワマチ ノ アイヌ ブンカ デンショウシャ ノ カタリ オ トオシテ

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Abstract

The National Ainu Museum and Park, also known as UPOPOY, which opened in July, draws attention to the inheritance of the Ainu people and their culture. Previous studies have looked into the assimilation of the Ainu people. However, they neglected the aspect of cultural inheritance that occurred despite assimilation. For example, many activities, such as those conducted by the Ainu Culture Preservation Societies, ensure that their culture is passed down through generations. In these studies, there is an absence of a perspective that looks into assimilation and cultural transmission simultaneously (e.g. Hirano 2018). This paper addresses this problem by looking into the interviews and autobiographies of the Ainu people in Urakawa by considering ethnic relations, Ainu communities, and Ainu networks. A culture that is subject to discrimination tends to assimilate, while a culture that is valued by others tends to be passed down. Ainu communities play a role in protecting their culture against discrimination. When the evaluation of the culture has an economic aspect, the activities to pass on the culture generally also have an economic aspect. However, when the value of culture itself is respected in cooperative ethnic relations, or when the Ainu community expands, and activities are carried out to pass on their culture, it does not have an economic aspect. Finally, Ainu communities and networks play a role in expanding the activities of cultural inheritance.

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